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January 28, 2021
THE MUSIC OF BASEBALL
Just recently I [Bill Gutman] wrote a blog about Take Me Out to the Ballgame, calling it the
National Anthem of baseball. It still is. When you see a list of songs about baseball, Take Me Out.… is always listed as number one. But it certainly isn’t a one and only. Some top performers and well known big bands have also recorded special songs about our game. I thought I would do something a little different this time and give you the opportunity to listen to four of these baseball songs about players we all know. So take a listen, see what you think and enjoy. And feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the blog page.
The first selection – and I feel like a disc jockey here – is TALKIN’ BASEBALL,
written by Terry Cashman. It’s also sometimes called “Willie, Mickey and the Duke,” which will give you a clue to the subject matter – baseball names. It was written in 1981 and is performed by the composer. So take a listen and look at the images. The song has been called a tribute to the 1950s, but I’m sure you’ll know all of those pictured. Enjoy. TALKIN’ BASEBALL
This next one may come as a bit of a surprise. Not the subject of the s
ong, but the performers. The title is DID YOU SEE JACKIE ROBINSON HIT THAT BALL. No surprise there. A pioneer and icon like Jackie Robinson should be the subject of song. It was written by Woodrow “Buddy” Johnson and this version was recorded in 1949 by the great Count Basie Orchestra, which makes it a jazz rendition with some fine solos. Enjoy. DID YOU SEE JACKIE ROBINSON HIT THAT BALL
Moving on, we have another song about an icon. JOLTIN’ JOE DiMAGGIO. The
song was written back in 1941 by Alan Courtney and Ben Homer as a tribute to the Yankee Clipper’s record breaking 56-game hitting streak. It is performed by another big band of the day, Les Brown and his Orchestra, often referred to as Les Brown and His Band of Renown. The female singer is Betty Bonney. Enjoy the music and the images. JOLTIN’ JOE DiMAGGIO
Our last selection in today’s Music of Baseball is a unique one. Again it’s about a
baseball icon, only this time the icon actually appears on the record with popular songstress Teresa Brewer. The song is I LOVE MICKEY and was written by Bill Katz, Ruth Roberts and Teresa Brewer. It was written and recorded in 1956 as a tribute to the Mick’s triple crown season, in which he batted .353, with 52 home runs and 130 runs batted in. No, Mickey doesn’t actually sing on the record. That’s left up to Ms. Brewer. But he’s there and you’ll hear him. This one’s fun. I LOVE MICKEY
That does it for this edition of The Music of Baseball. This is all great stuff for the baseball fan and we hope you enjoy it. And it shows you that even the world of music and some pretty big names love paying homage to the national pastime.
Bill Gutman
As always, we enjoy reading your comments
Here’s a link to see the entire Blog Archives
Katy Casey was baseball mad…along with hundreds of millions since then. Great essay, Gary.
On a side note, today marks the 85th anniversary of the first electors to the HOF. The magic 5 of Ruth, Cobb, Wagner, Mathewson and Johnson were voted in the first class by the BBWAA.
Thanks Paul. Actually, Bill wrote this one, I accidentally sent it out on my page instead of his. He’ll see this and will be glad to read your comments.
This one was pure fun, Paul. And being a huge jazz fan I even got Count Basie into the act. That was some initial HOF class. Wonder if any of today’s analytics geeks can use their crazy stats to claim they weren’t that good. Wouldn’t shock me.
Sensational, Bill. Loved the music! I’ve heard three of the songs. Count Basie was a first. Terrific.
Remember when Marilyn Monroe interrupted their honeymoon in ’54 to entertain the troops in Korea? It was phenomenally successful, and when she returned to Tokyo, she said to Joe, “Oh, Joe it was so wonderful. “You’ve never heard such cheering.” DiMag replied, “Yes I have.” The song triggered that memory.
Best, Bill
I love this quote from Miss MM: “Whenever I go into a restaurant with Joe, all the men are looking at him, not me!”
Just spotted this comment, Bill. I’ve heard the DiMag/Marilyn story as well. In that case, Joe was right. I did find it interesting that these earlier songs were done by the likes of Basie and Les Brown. Shows how the culture has changed over the years. Probably do a followup blog on some more songs one of these days.